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Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated We Hunt The Flame (Sands of Arawiya #1) in Books

Jul 23, 2019

We Hunt The Flame (Sands of Arawiya #1)

Hafsah Faizal | 2018 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)

7.0

(5 Ratings)

Book Rating

This is the first book in a planned duology, and I NEED THE SECOND ONE RIGHT NOW. Zafira is a firecracker, and Nasir is a precious gumdrop, and Altair is a mystery, while I can't help but read Kifah as Valkyrie from Avengers. (Seriously, if this ever gets made into a movie and Tessa Thompson DOESN'T get cast as Kifah, I'll be upset.)

These characters, and this setting, and this worldbuilding, and this plot...Faizal has blown me away with this book. There are twists I saw coming, and some I did not, so I'm not going to go into much detail about the plot, but Zafira and a few other people are searching for a magical artifact to restore magic to their kingdom, after it was locked away many years ago. I don't remember exactly how long it's been; Zafira can't remember having magic, but she does mention at one point that her mother was a healer. So sometime during her mother's lifetime? The kingdom has been cursed in the absence of magic, different curses for the different districts, and the Arz is a magical forest encroaching on the borders. Almost no one who goes into the Arz ever comes out again, so it's incredibly dangerous for anyone who isn't Zafira. Zafira has the unique ability to always know which direction she needs to go to reach her goal, and it's this ability that brings her to the attention of the Silver Witch, who sets her on the path to find the artifact. The artifact is, of course, on the enchanted island that serves as a prison for all the magical objects and creatures, so Zafira and her companions face all kinds of unknown dangers.

I really enjoyed basically everything about this book. There was character development, a touch of romance, a team learning to work as a team, secrets, magic, ancient evils, trauma and emotional work...just a lot. (Also enemies-to-lovers, if you're into that.) It is a brilliant epic fantasy, and I cannot WAIT for the second book. I need to know what happens! (It doesn't end on a cliffhanger, exactly, but things are definitely NOT. RESOLVED.)

You can find all my reviews and more at http://goddessinthestacks.com

Kudos

Eleanor (1463 KP) rated The Turn of The Key in Books

Dec 16, 2019

The Turn of The Key

Ruth Ware | 2019 | Thriller

7.7

(10 Ratings)

Book Rating

An Interesting Twist to a Familiar Tale

This suspense thriller was a close one for me but ultimately it just didn’t totally click. I listened to the audio version narrated by Inogen Church, who seemed to be a talented narrator just unfortunate that the person she was narrating was so irritating to me. The writing was of a high standard and I’ll certainly be looking at more of Ruth Ware’s work.

When Rowan takes a live-in nanny position in a remote Scottish she is soon faced with more than just the usual new nanny woes. The house has been converted into a modern all bells and whistles smart home, but it’s not exactly making life easier for Rowan. The book is told via the correspondence between Rowan and a solicitor from her prison cell following her arrest for the death of one of her charges. The result is a slow build of difficult circumstances from her perspective and a strong denial of any responsibility…. but what did happen?

This is a solid suspense thriller with plenty of creepy atmosphere in it and I can imagine some people will really love this book. For me, though I just kept getting a bit irritated. I’m not a big fan of kids (I know - burn the witch!!) and there are some prime examples of why that is in this book from the brats. Why someone would want to be a nanny is beyond me so Rowan is very hard to relate to. I really couldn’t care less about the routines of children. I’m also not a fan of having a narrator who constantly hints towards things not being as they seem but not clarifying until the “big reveal” troupe. So maybe just not the best book for me, in particular, to pick up.

Smart home things like speakers, voice-activated lights, fridges curtains, etc don’t do anything for me and the fact they added to the creepiness of Rowan’s situation was an interesting approach. Ultimately a book that many will love but just not my kinda story, so can’t get too pumped for it.

Kudos

Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Dragon Marked (Supernatural Prison, #1) in Books

Jan 23, 2020

<a href="http://www.inwonderlandbookblog.com/2016/04/dragon-marked-review.html"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on In Wonderland</a>Coolest book about supernaturals ever?
Erm… it could go both ways.

What I Liked:
~ Jessa has spunk and no filter. She has no problems giving people her two cents.
Dragon shifters are awesome, hands down.
~ The concept – a supernatural community just to guard a prison for supernatural criminals? Oh, and those prisons are being broken into and no one knows how? Plus, the main character is dragon marked (prophesized to raise some sort of dragon king of a thousand years ago) and the Quads (aka four brothers who turn heads everywhere they turn) are supposed to hunt and kill her? Grabby hands ensues. <del>Because I just adore potential best friends turned murderer type of stories.</del>
~ Possessiveness: I normally really hate possessiveness, but Jaymin Eve doesn’t overplay it. Possessiveness is a part of the culture for the supernaturals, but Jessa isn’t sheltered.

What I Didn’t Like:
~ Does anyone have a problem with an entire family ruling most of the American Supernatural council? I mean, there’s a scuffle or two that carries as the main plot of the first book, but for the most part, almost everyone is completely okay with the Quads taking over 4/5 of the council.
~ Every page or two (maybe a little more), there’s a bomb of information about the supernaturals. Some are repetitive with the usual tropes, but I might be okay with that. Just a little.
~ Eve has humor throughout the book, but um… too much information sometimes. It doesn’t clash too well with Jessa’s personality. No filter humor? Little kid guilty of peeking at the wrong time.

All in all, Dragon Marked does have potential. But while there might be one plot in just one book, the overall arc of the story is primarily set up with lots of information.

And tootles to everyone who handles a no filter main character with the occasional weird humor better than me.